yoda-noob

Hi guys, first time poster. I have a 98 Taco that has served me well so far, 185k...the little 2.4 4 banger 5 speed, has never failed me yet, even towing and hauling near the limit, which is not often btw but I do haul and tow more than the avg joe.

I had never actually considered the 4runner but one came up locally for a price that has me kicking the idea around. Owner says it has no mechanical issues whatsoever. Its a 4WD 2nd gen with a manual trans V6. 190K on the clock and says the timing belt was done 170k with paperwork to prove it. Cosmetically the fenderwells have rusted out and its been bondoed up....not that I really care about appearance. My interest in it is 2-fold: 1st my standard cab Taco kills my back and offers no real room for any smaller personal belongings. Been doing it for years but with the dog and going to/from the track it becomes an annoying process of putting everything in the right place, I'm sure you can imagine. 2nd, although I've made it through some rough winters it would be nice to have a much more suitable vehicle "just in case" sorta thing.

Presently I'm rated to tow 3500 so an additional 1500 lbs would be appreciated. I'm expecting gas mileage to go out the window but hey, I expect that considering my Tacoma weighs about 2600 lbs.

I've done some research both on and off this site trying to find gripes with this model. Besides an inferior head gasket that was used on some models and sluggish acceleration given the weight to power ratio I can't really see it being that bad. Seems to me I'm looking at something that could/should be nearly as reliable as my Tacoma with about the same mileage...just older.

Thoughts and input?

If you were going to be towing with this vehicle would there be certain things you would do to this gen 4runner? Of course suspension/brakes/tires are all important when towing but aside from that....any other things to lookout for with the 2nd gen?

Given the price and its a 4wd manual transmission I'm trying to not get overly excited about it. It is old and I'm trying to not get my hopes up too much.

Thanks in advance and if I take delivery I'll be sure to post up pics as well as real world MPG.

vermontoyota

Post pics. How much do they want?

timothy47129

Around here older 4runners are hard to come by for a good price,and they bring what i consider pretty high value around here.Even the 2wd pickups bring pretty good money.